RAISING A SELF-DISCIPLINED
CHILD
Parents today struggle with what is discipline and how
to approach it. Different parents view discipline differently.
To some parents, discipline means obedience. To others,
discipline means punishment. How do parents get to do
the things they want them to do? This seems to be the
major problem of discipline.
The answer lies not in the behavior control techniques
but in the parent-child relationship. If you know your
child well and are sensitive to his needs, the ability
to get him to behave well will follow naturally because
he trusts you and wants to be accepted.
'Everyday the parent's approach to discipline can either
diminish or enhance a child's feelings of self-worth"
(Thomson, 1994). We, as parents, can put greater efforts
to be a nurturer, facilitator, limit-setter and enforcer
to set the stage for positive future development in
our young children. In so doing, we will be raising
children whom we genuinely enjoy, who are fun to be
around and who will make us proud. More importantly,
our children will be proud of themselves.
TOWARDS A
FULFILLING PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP: DEVELOPING HOME-SCHOOL
PARTNERSHIPS
Parents today are faced with the challenges of meeting
the economic and emotional demands of a family. Despite
their busy work schedules many parents try hard to strike
a balance between work and family life. They recognise
the importance of getting involved in their child's
development. (Many studies revealed that positive and
active parent involvement is the key the development
of a well-adjusted child who often do well in the school)
In Singapore, children begin their
'education' in a group setting as early as 18 months
or even younger. Therefore, there is a need for parents
to work as partners with the school to create a more
consistent, supportive and enriching environment for
children. This talk will address the importance of building
a home-school partnership as well as how parents can
build a positive partnership with the school.
MUSIC AND
CREATIVE THINKING
The rich heritage of music, the elements of music and
the array of musical types, forms and styles are able
to provoke creative thoughts and expressions in young
children. Creativity can be fostered when children are
allowed to 'play' with musical elements. In encouraging
children to explore the different sounds that a percussion
instrument can produce (timbre, pitch, dynamics) and
the types of tunes that they can make (rhythm, melody,
texture), the teacher challenges them to think. Once
children discover the range of sounds and possible ways
of producing them, they can be encouraged to think,
improvise and compose. Music centres with varied musical
materials and hands-on tasks will enable young children
to listen, explore, think and create.
WHAT PARENTS
CAN DO TO SUPPORT CREATIVITY IN YOUNG CHILDREN
"Creative expression begins early in life."
(Schirrmacher, 1998) A young child's attempts at making
marks on the paper or telling a tall tale are natural
displays of a creative attitude. As parents we can play
a very important role in encouraging and fostering children's
natural tendency to be creative individuals. Research
has shown that the end results are not only beneficial
for the children but for adults as well; by helping
children become creative, we become creative thinkers
ourselves as well.
PARTNERSHIP
READING: CHILDREN AND PARENTS
More and more research reveals that parents have a really
important role to play in young children's literacy
development even before they enter schools. We now know
that literacy experiences in the early years of a child's
life contribute and impact the child's success at school
in the later years.
There are major preconditions for
literacy that are rooted in the home environment and
pre-reading and reading in the children's home is one
such precondition. Today's discussion aims at revealing
the importance of reading in relation to the child's
total development and heightening parents' awareness
that they are crucial partners to their children in
their reading development. This discussion focuses on
how parents are partners in their young children's literacy
development and the kinds of support parents provide
for their young children in their own homes. Essentially,
we are going to explore the specific steps parents can
take to motivate their young children to read during
their early years.
CULTIVATING
MATHEMATICS INTERESTS IN YOUNG CHILDREN
Children as young as toddlers, engage in mathematical
activities everyday. They form basic mathematical conceptual
framework through daily exploration, routines and interaction
with adults and other children. For instance, they match
names to family members, sort out those cars that move
fast and those that do not, they know where to put their
toys, compare who has more raisins, ask for more chocolate
or grab a bigger pile of sweets. Children can cultivate
mathematical interests if adults could help them relate
mathematical problems to real life, at home, during
shopping trips, outing or even taking a bus. Adults
can also use storybooks, computer programmes and games
to introduce or reinforce mathematical concepts. If
adults could recall their childhood games like hopscotch,
'police and thief', skipping robes, they will soon realize
that it was such fun activities that had taught them
how to count naturally. Time may have changed but children's
mode of learning through play has not.
POSITIVE COMMUNICATION WITH
CHILDREN
Positive communication is a powerful tool in the guidance
of young children. Adults' knowledge and skills, in
providing appropriate and supportive responses, help
guide children towards positive behaviour. The ultimate
goal of positive discipline is not to control children
but to nurture the development of inner self control,
which is based on the understanding of needs and expectations
of oneself and others, as well as, the learning of effective
skills through watching, listening and interacting with
adults who possess well-developed positive communication
skills.
